Predicting England’s Playing XI for 5th Test against India

This article will discuss the Predicting England’s Playing XI for the 5th Test against India ongoing series on a victorious note by winning the first Test of IND vs ENG. The English team started the ongoing series on a victorious note by winning the first Test in Hyderabad. But since then, everything has gone south for the visitors. They still have a chance to salvage some World Test Championship points in the Dharamsala Test. On that note, moving ahead, we will take a look at the probable playing XI for England in the last Test of the series. 

Top Order

Zak Crawley has been the best batter for England in this series. He has not yet registered a triple-digit score but is certainly the most consistent name in the English batting order. Crawley will once again partner with Ben Duckett who is also in good form. A lot will depend on this opening pair for England. 

England No.3 Ollie Pope was the main protagonist in the memorable victory in Hyderabad but the youngster has not been able to carry on that momentum. Now, the English fans will be hoping for another big score from Pope in Dharamsala. 

Middle Order

The former English captain Joe Root has returned to form with a trademark century in Ranchi. He will be the most pivotal player for England in the middle order. With him will be Jonny Bairstow who will be playing his 100th Test match. The English captain Ben Stokes will also have the responsibility to chip in as he has not scored many runs in the series. The wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes is another crucial name in the middle order who will look to add some runs to his tally. 

Bowling Unit

Conditions in Dharamsala will be conducive for fast bowling but it is unlikely that England will compromise on the already depleted spin attack. The English bowling unit might be unchanged with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson taking up the fast-bowling responsibilities. We might see Ben Stokes also coming into action with the ball. Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley will be the trump cards for England as they have done brilliantly in the series so far.